Typically, a mobile terminal has one or more functions such as performing voice and video communication, data input and output, and data storage.
With such diverse functions, the mobile terminal is evolving into a comprehensive multimedia device that may support various operations, such as capturing images or videos, outputting music or video files, allowing a user to play games, and receiving broadcast content.
In order to embody complex functions, hardware and software implementations are being developed. For example, a user interface environment is provided to allow the user to search for and select various functions.
Recently, mobile terminals have been equipped with a touch screen to provide various user interface environments. A user may now input various commands or select functions while watching a screen image embodied on the display module.
However, the mobile terminal using the conventional touch screen suffers from shortcomings in that various user interface environments may not be provided, because a user may only select a function related to a menu by touching the menu displayed on a screen of a mobile terminal.
Furthermore, the number of menus and icons that may be formed within one screen may be limited due to size constraint of the touch screen. As a result, although many functions are provided via the conventional mobile terminal, a user must access multiple menus in order to execute a particular function.
Specifically, each function provided in the conventional mobile terminal is associated with a menu or icon. Additionally, each menu or icon may include multiple minor classification menus. However, a user must sequentially navigate through multiple menu levels in order to execute a function associated with a specific menu of the multi-staged menu. The sequential navigation of multiple menu levels is inconvenient for the user of the mobile terminal.
Additionally, many users only use a fraction of functions provided by the mobile terminal and are further inconvenienced by having to sequentially navigate through menus for functions that are rarely used.
Thus, in order to execute a particular function of a mobile terminal, the user is inconvenienced by having to sequentially navigate through multiple menus. As a result, the desire to use the mobile terminal is decreased for those who are not familiar with the functional usage of the mobile terminal.